Saturday, March 28, 2009

Hey Travelers, call me. We should hang.

Originally introduced as a random encounter in Starfarers of Catan, the enigmatic intergalactic race known as the Travelers took on a more prominent role with the release of the Starfarers 5-6 player expansion. In this expansion the Travelers are given their own trading post on the furthest reaches of the board. Due to this we get to know them a bit better and I’ve decided that I would like to be boys with them. Hang out, talk shit on the Green Folk, generally have a good time together. They seem like a fun bunch.



In a game sense a visit to the Travelers is well worth the trek to the other side of the galaxy. Some of the powers granted by their trading cards are the best in the game. You can demand a black ball every turn, demand resources from other players, work out arrangements for fame rings, and some other pretty good stuff. The vibe I’m picking up is that if the Travelers are on your side people are afraid to say no to you and will pretty much turn over the goods. Interestingly enough, some of their abilities don’t work if you are the lead player, perhaps the Travelers are socialists.

I also like the look that they gave going on. Kind of these long, droopy faces perfectly framed by a long red cowl. They also seem to have a halo of triumphant blue light radiating from behind them. Oh yeah, and they don't have mouths. But who needs a mouth when you have telepathy? And all of their names start with Tro, such as Tro-Taphon and Tro-Towar. I'm not sure if Tro is the Travelers way of saying Mr. or if it just a very popular name amongst the race but I like it. Tro-Fran, I can see it.

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